Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Profiles in Goodwill: Christa Brown
Christa Brown, author of “This Little Light: Beyond a Baptist Preacher Predator and his Gang,” has spent years doing volunteer advocacy work on behalf of Baptist clergy sex abuse survivors.
‘Instead of Fortresses, I Hope We Build Neighborhoods’
After the March 15 attack on two New Zealand mosques that left 50 dead, I visited our local mosque and sat down with some of my Muslim neighbors as they processed their grief. It was a long overdue visit.
Meet the Only Baptist Church on the Island of Cyprus
With 30-plus members, mainly women migrant workers and refugees without work, Faith Baptist Church in Nicosia, the largest city in Cyprus, is the only Baptist congregation on the European island.
March 20, 2019
Minnesota Church Flipper Gives Empty Religious Buildings New Life (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) Politics is Religion, and the Right is Getting Ready for the End Times (Washington Post) Elizabeth Warren Explains How Her...
Emerging Voices | ‘Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence’
The U.S. has a serious problem when it comes to gun violence. Some say it’s a gun problem; others a people problem. In their new book, authors Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin argue that it’s both.
Is It Anti-Semitic to Criticize the Nation of Israel?
Anti-Semitism cannot be condoned no matter when or by whom it is expressed, but neither can charges of anti-Semitism be used as a means to stifle legitimate criticism of the nation of Israel.
Mass Shootings Correlated to Increased Gun Ownership, Looser Laws
U.S. states with higher levels of gun ownership and those with fewer restrictions have higher rates of mass shootings, research in a medical journal found.
March 19, 2019
Why Evangelicals are Still the Heart of Trump’s Base (New York Magazine) Federal Appeals Court Upholds Tax Exemption for Religious Housing (BJC Online) Texas Bill Would Shield Churches From that Report Sex Abuse from...
Migration an Economic Necessity for Rural Mexican Families
While many people migrate to the U.S. to flee gang violence, many others from indigenous communities in Mexico are fleeing poverty, a crushing and systemic problem rooted in decades of injustice and exploitation.
How Our Consumer-Driven Culture Can Steer Your Church
The consumer-driven culture in the U.S. has a not-so-subtle impact upon the church. We often seek that “one thing” that, when implemented, will bring the church shoppers to us in droves. Are we creating consumers or disciples?
Religious Minorities Offer Social Capital But Face Discrimination
Religious minorities have much to offer society, but they often struggle against various forms of discrimination, a newly published report says.
March 18, 2019
New Zealand Mosque Attack: Counter-Terrorism Police Raids Homes in Australia (The Guardian) It’s Time to Attack White Nationalism for Terror Group It Is (Daily Beast) Christian Radio Host Bryan Fischer Defends New...
The overabundance of unchanged minds
By John D. Pierce Few things are as rare as a changed mind. Everyone seems to buy into a particular ideology and defend it regardless of faults or facts. Often professing Christians are the most rigid and defensive by...
Confronted with Truth of Racial Terror, A Space for Lament
The Alabama memorial serves as a somber reminder of our nation’s sad and brutal history. A place to confront the truth of racial terror. A place of prayer and for lamentation. And yet, a ray of hope beyond the clouds.
Emerging Voices | Few Discuss Persecution of Muslims – Part 2
With some exceptions, most Christians are silent about persecution against Muslims. What a testimony it would be if the loudest voices calling for the just, humane treatment of Muslims were Christian voices.
Look Back | St. Patrick: Building Bridges Between Sinners, Saints
How does a saint become synonymous with open beer taps, wild dancing and parades? In his early years, St. Patrick reveled in the world. Later, he spent decades in Ireland building bridges between sinners and saints.
March 15, 2019
Converting to Judaism in Small-Town Kentucky (New Voices) Missouri House Votes to Teach the Bible in Schools, Not Sacred Texts of Other Faiths (Missourian) Georgia Southern Baptist Mission Board Rolls Out Restructuring...
Seeking Peace Through Disarmament
Governments spent $1.7 trillion on military expenses in 2018. Compare that to the $8.6 billion spent on global hunger programs. How can followers of Christ advocate for disarmament and feeding the hungry?
Emerging Voices | Few Discuss Persecution of Muslims – Part 1
Often missing from a Christian discourse on religious persecution is recognition of an injustice undermining millions of lives today: the persecution of Muslims. Here are three cases of ongoing persecution.
K-12 Funding Below ‘Great Recession’ Levels in Many States
Funding for K-12 schools in the U.S. has increased in recent years, however, in 24 states, it still remains below levels before the “Great Recession,” a report says.
How would American evangelicals react if the president had an honest-to-God experience with Jesus?
By John D. Pierce It’s a big “What if?” for sure. Huge, in fact. But just imagine the mouth-gaping, head-spinning, outrageous response if the president actually had an honest-to-God spiritual conversion. What if he...